inp.polri.go.id - Medan. The Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) through the Surveillance Vessel of Hiu 16 captured two foreign vessels suspected of being fish thieves flying the Malaysian flag in the waters of the Malacca Strait.

"The two vessels were then processed for investigation by the Civil Servant Investigators of the Belawan PSDKP Station," said the Director General of Marine and Fisheries Resources Supervision (PSDKP) Pung Nugroho Saksono in Medan, North Sumatra, Thursday (5/28/2025).

The man who is familiarly called Ipunk said that the foreign vessel flying the Malaysian flag was strongly suspected of carrying out illegal fishing in Indonesian territorial waters, the Malacca Strait.

Furthermore, the vessel that was secured in the Malacca Strait is part of the Fisheries Management Area of the Republic of Indonesia (WPPNRI) 571 on Monday (26/5).

"When the inspection was carried out, the two ships did not have any permit documents from the Indonesian Government," he said.

In addition, the two ships also used trawl fishing gear which is categorized as prohibited from operating in the WPPNRI, and of course is very detrimental to Indonesia.

"We calculate the potential state loss from the economic aspect that can be saved at Rp. 19.9 billion," he said.

What was interesting about the case was that all the crew members were Indonesian citizens, while the ship was flying the Malaysian flag.

Ipunk suspected that the Indonesian crew members worked in Malaysia illegally with the motivation of high salaries.

The arrest of the two Malaysian vessels adds to the list of foreign fishing vessels (KIA) that were successfully arrested by the KKP patrol vessel fleet throughout 2025.

From January to May 2025, the KKP managed to arrest 13 KIA, consisting of five KIA from the Philippines, three KIA from Malaysia, four from Vietnam, and one from China.

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